The FDA ordered a mandatory recall of powdered kratom products manufactured by a Nevada company because salmonella bacteria were found in the herbal supplement, said the Washington Post. It was the first-ever recall of a food item by the FDA.
The agency does not have recall authority for drugs but gained mandatory authority for foods under a 2011 law. “In the case of kratom, a botanical from Southeast Asia, FDA officials determine whether the products are a food or an unapproved drug depending on the way they are labeled,” said the Post.
FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the company, Triangle Pharmanaturals, refused to make a voluntary recall despite the “imminent health risk posed by the contamination of this product with salmonella … despite our repeated requests and actions.”